FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 20 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | JULY 4, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD Sports Captain Shubman’s unbeaten ton earns global praise ESTD-1983 P.14 UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Digital boom to digital doom P.6 US OPENS STUDENT VISA APPLICATION Cinema Mansi Bagla bets on love P.12 MATIYARI DAM GATES OPEN, FLOOD-LIKE SITUATION IN MANDLA One feared drowned Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL There is a flood-like situation in Mandla district after six gates of the Matiyaridam were opened in Bichhiya block following continuous rainfall. Water from the dam gushed into low-lying villages, submerging several areas since Wednesday night. At least 83 people were shifted to Panchayat Bhavan for safety, and Home Guard teams have been deployed for rescue operations. However, due to darkness, the operation was suspended on Thursday night and will resume Friday morning, according to officials. One person is feared to have drowned, prompting an emergency response from district authorities. “Six gates of Matiyari dam were opened after incessant rain in Mandla. Water gushed into low-lying areas. Eightythree people were shifted to Panchayat Bhavan. One person has been swept away and rescue operation is on. Due to darkness, it was suspended,” said Hiralal Tiwari, flood cell in-charge. Monsoon mess l 83 villagers rescued and shifted to Panchayat Bhavan in Mandla l Six gates of Matiyari Dam opened due to incessant rain l One person feared drowned, rescue efforts to resume Friday l Rain alert issued for over 50 districts across Madhya Pradesh Meanwhile, in Bhopal, showers continued into the evening after a day of cloudy, GILL’S BAT TALKS, WRITES HISTORY mixed weather. The meteorological department has issued an alert for very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning in districts of Dindori, Katni, We will cross that bridge when we come to it: EAM on Russian sanctions bill CRACKDOWN | Damoh school penalised for excess fee and books with fake ISBNs PTI Agencies BIRMINGHAM WASHINGTON, DC In a blazing exhibition of skill, patience, and flair, Shubman Gill etched his name in cricketing folklore on Day 2 of the second Test at Edgbaston, becoming the first Asian captain to score a double century in England. The 24-year-old Indian skipper made history by surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s iconic 221 at The Oval (1979), notching up the highest-ever Test score by an Indian on English soil. Gill reached the milestone with a composed single off Josh Tongue, bringing up his maiden Test double ton off 311 deliveries — laced with 21 boundaries and two sixes. This landmark innings not only places Gill in the company of Indian greats like Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Dhoni, and Pataudi, but also breaks new ground — becoming the first Indian captain to score a double hundred in a S E N A (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) country. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday (local time) that the Indian embassy and ambassador have been in touch with US Senator Lindsey Graham regarding the bill on Russia and India will have to cross that bridge if it comes to it. While addressing a press conference, Jaishankar stated that India's concerns and interests on energy, security have been made conversant to Graham. When asked about US plans to impose 500 per cent tariffs on the import of Russian Oil, Jaishankar said, "Regarding Senator Lindsey Graham's bill, any development which is happening in the US Congress is of interest to us if it impacts our interest or could impact our interest. Detail on Sports Page Gill Glory fp Briefs BHOPAL 5 advocates made HC judges Five advocates have been made High Court judges. They are Pushpendra Yadav, Anand Singh Bahrawat, Ajay Kumar Nirankari, Jai Kumar Pillai and Himanshu Joshi, according to report. Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting on July 1, approved the proposal for appointment of these advocates as HC judges. Skipper Shubman Gill celebrates his double-century during Day 2 of the second Test @BCCI X/ANI Photo NEW DELHI All Pakistani accounts on X have been blocked in India after briefly being accessible in the past few days, official sources confirmed on Thursday. The move comes in continuation of India's escalating digital and diplomatic restrictions against Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror at- The move comes in continuation of India’s escalating digital, diplomatic restrictions against Pakistan tack, in which 26 tourists were killed by terrorists affiliated with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba's proxy, The Resistance Front. After the attack, India responded with a series of retali- Bomb threats at Canada airports MADRID Liverpool’s Jota, bro killed Liverpool player Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André Silva, 25, were killed in a car accident in Spain. Their Lamborghini veered off a road near Zamora and burst into flames. atory measures, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and the launch of Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror launch pads inside Pakistan. Among the measures was a wide-reaching crackdown on Pakistani media and social media content -- encompassing accounts of actors, cricketers, and internet influencers -across Instagram, X, YouTube, and other platforms. 4Continued on | P8 Pak hockey team to play in Asia Cup TORONTO Ground stops were lifted at international airports in Ottawa and Montreal after a bomb threat on Thursday briefly halted departing flights, Transport Canada and the US Federal Aviation Administration said. The Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport said on X that the security incident had been resolved. 4Continued on | P8 Pak handles on X blocked in India Ban on YouTube channels stays PTI NEW DELHI A matter of pride PM Narendra Modi being conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country’s national honour, by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, in Accra. Pakistan's hockey teams will not be stopped from competing in next month's Asia Cup and the subsequent junior World Cup in India as any move to block the arch-foes from multi-lateral competitions in the country would be a violation of the Olympic Charter, a sports ministry source said on Thursday. Detail on Sports Page offgrid Man beats 5 puppies to death FP News Service JABALPUR Detail on Sports Page A man allegedly beat at least five puppies to death in Jabalpur city after apparently being annoyed by their barking, police said on Thursday. Rajesh Dahiya was arrested on Wednesday for killing the young dogs in the Maharajpur locality, Adhartal police station house officer PK Kumre told reporters. The accused told police Accused booked under BNS sections 296 (obscene acts and songs) and 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animals) that the puppies used to bark throughout the night, disturbing the entire area, the official said. “We received a complaint that Dahiya had killed five to six puppies with a stick near a school on the night of June Seoni, Mandla, Balaghat, Raisen, Sehore, Guna, Shivpuri and Sheopur. Heavy rain is also likely in districts of Singrauli, Sidhi, Rewa, Mauganj, Anuppur, Shahdol, Umaria, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Maihar, Pandhurna, Bhopal, Vidisha, Rajgarh, Narmadapuram, Betul, Harda, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Barwani, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Dhar, Indore, Ratlam, Ujjain, Dewas,Shajapur, Agar, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ashoknagar, Gwalior, Datia, Bhind, Morena, Satna, Panna, Sagar, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Niwari. 30,” Kumre said. Some animal activists even shared a video of the act with the police, he said. The carcass of one of the dead puppies has been sent for post-mortem. Dahiya allegedly abused the animal activists when they confronted him about the incident, the official said.  Dahiya was booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 296 (obscene acts and songs) and 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animals), he added. SCHOOL ASKED TO REFUND RS 6.75 CR Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Madhya Pradesh State Committee for Regulating Fee has directed St. John’s Senior Secondary School in Damoh to refund Rs 6.25 crore collected as excess fees from students, return Rs 52 lakh spent on books with fake ISBNs, and pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh. The decision upholds the Damoh District Committee’s January 17, 2025 order after an inquiry found that the school — largest and oldest private school in Damoh — overcharged students by more than Serious lapses l St. John’s Damoh or- dered to refund Rs 6.25 crore excess fees + Rs 52 lakh for fake books. l Overcharge spanned three years: 2022-23 to 2024-25. l 101 of 204 prescribed books had fake or duplicate ISBNs. l Parents paid extra fees including AI & Robotics fee and online platform fees. 15% surplus over expenditure during three academic sessions. Specifically, excess fees of Rs Big Beautiful Bill moves closer to final vote Agencies WASHINGTON DC 1.95 crore were collected from 2,160 students in 2022-23, Rs 2.07 crore from 2,179 students in 2023-24, and Rs 2.23 crore from 2,234 students in 2024-25. The inquiry also revealed that out of 204 books prescribed by the school from private publishers, 101 had fake or duplicate ISBN numbers. Parents spent Rs 52.24 lakh on these books, which the school has been ordered to refund. The school had appealed the order, but the state committee dismissed it, pointing out deceptive fee practices. As the US House of Representatives heads for final vote in passing Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill', the US President on Thursday lashed out at Republican party senators for stalling the bill in a procedural vote. Republicans eventually advanced the tax cut and spending bill with a 219-213 vote but not before Trump took to social media to express his ire stating that the defiance was costing him votes. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8